# Yahoo Mail MCP for Windows — Read Only

This package connects Claude Desktop on Windows to Yahoo Mail for searching and
reading. It deliberately exposes no tools for sending, deleting, moving,
marking, starring, or otherwise changing messages.

## What stays on the computer

`index.db` stores sender, recipients, subject, date, size, flags, folder and
message UID. It does not store message bodies. A body is fetched from Yahoo only
when `mail_read` is used and is then returned to Claude for processing.

The Yahoo app password is stored through Python `keyring`, which uses Windows
Credential Manager. It is not written to Claude's JSON configuration.

## Requirements

- Windows 10 or 11
- Claude Desktop
- Python 3.10 or newer (Python 3.12 recommended)
- Internet access
- A Yahoo-generated app password

Git is not required for this downloadable package.

## Installation

1. Extract the ZIP to a permanent folder, for example
   `C:\Users\YourName\Documents\yahoo-mail-mcp-readonly`.
2. In that folder, right-click `setup-windows.ps1` and choose **Run with
   PowerShell**. If Windows blocks scripts, open PowerShell in the folder and
   run:

   ```powershell
   powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\setup-windows.ps1
   ```

3. Enter your full Yahoo address.
4. At Yahoo Account Security, create a separate app password named
   `Claude Yahoo Read Only`. Paste that generated password when prompted.
   Do not use your normal Yahoo password.
5. Fully quit Claude Desktop from the system tray, then reopen it.

The installer creates a private Python environment, installs dependencies,
stores the app password in Windows Credential Manager, tests the IMAP login,
and merges the server into Claude's existing configuration.

## First prompts in Claude

Use these in order:

1. `Check my Yahoo Mail connection using mail_status.`
2. `List my Yahoo folders.`
3. `Sync my Yahoo INBOX headers with deep=true and max_messages=20000.`
4. `Find messages from Ryanair in my INBOX.`
5. `Read the relevant messages and extract flight date, route and booking reference.`

Run `mail_sync` separately for other folders such as Archive or a Ryanair
folder. Yahoo can limit a simple search to 10,000 results, so `deep=true` is
important for a mailbox covering many years. Increase `max_messages` only when
needed.

## Available tools

| Tool | Access |
| --- | --- |
| `mail_status` | Test connection and show index status |
| `mail_folders` | List folders |
| `mail_sync` | Download headers into the local index |
| `mail_search` | Search indexed headers or Yahoo body text |
| `mail_read` | Retrieve one message body and attachment names |

All IMAP folder selections use read-only mode. Even opening a message through
this connector cannot mark it as read.

## Remove access

Run `uninstall-windows.ps1`, then delete the app password from Yahoo Account
Security. Removing the Yahoo app password is the definitive way to revoke the
connector's access.

## Privacy notes

- The software runs locally, but email content requested through a tool is
  supplied to Claude so it can answer.
- Anyone able to use your signed-in Windows account may be able to run the
  connector under your identity.
- Back up important mail independently. This connector is not a backup tool.

This is a read-only adaptation of `mithun2k5/yahoo-mail-mcp`, distributed under
its MIT licence. The original project is not affiliated with Yahoo or Anthropic.